The Sorting of Albus Severus
by DanyTheConqueror
Summary: He was from a family of lions, so he assumed he would be one too. He had worried about becoming a snake and didn't give much thought to being declared an eagle. He hadn't even considered the other possibility.
1. Chapter 1

**The Sorting of Albus Severus**

Author's Note: This is the first time I've ever written a Next Generation fic. I have been hesitant to do so for a variety of reasons, but with a bit of a nudge in the right direction from a challenge I have decided to give it a shot.

For as long as he could remember, Albus Severus Potter had heard stories about Hogwarts. He had half a dozen older cousins who had all gone there, plus his parents and all of his aunts and uncles. He had heard about Peeves the Poltergeist and Gryffindor's half-decapitated ghost, of the giant squid and a magical tree that hit anyone who walked close to it, and of moving staircases and the glory of winning the House Cup. For as long as he could remember, he had been looking forward to the day that he would get to experience it all himself. Unfortunately, there were a lot of years from when he first understood the stories until the September he was eleven.

Last year he got to see the Hogwarts Express for the first time when he, his parents, and his little sister brought his older brother for his first year at Hogwarts. Seeing it all, the bright red steam engine and the bustle behind the magical barrier, made him all the more excited for his turn to come. His brother came home at holidays covered with Gryffindor red and gold. James told Albus many things about what life was like at Hogwarts and even though Albus was skeptical of his brother's truthfulness, it made him even more excited for his turn.

After the Easter holidays, he had started a countdown to when his turn would come. He wrote the numbers of days left on his calendar down meticulously, starting with a one on August 31st and getting higher as he got further out. Every morning from then on, he would look to see how much longer he had to go. The countdown was thrilling, especially when he switched to double digits or got one month closer.

One morning in mid-July, his father gave him a thick envelope when he came down for breakfast. Albus tore into it, leaving scraps of parchment on the floor, and read it over three times before he looked up. He finally had his proof that he would be going to Hogwarts and that he was not, as James had insisted, not magical enough to get in. Albus had done magic (mostly accidentally, of course) for years but a part of him was still nervous that James was right. The thick stack of pages, signed by the Deputy Headmaster with a flourish.

Finally, September 1st arrived and Albus's turn had come. He had his things packed for days leading up to his departure. He poured over his trunk so many times that he had its contents and their locations memorized. He bet that, if he needed to, he could find what he needed with his eyes closed. Sure, he had to fold things a few times because he spent so much time rifling through it, but Albus was okay with that.

Most of the morning went by in a blur. Albus woke up early to find that his mum was making a special breakfast, which he devoured despite his excited stomach. His father moved the trunks to the boot of the car and, after what seemed like hours, they finally made their way to King's Cross Station.

Albus did his best to hide his nerves once they arrived at the train station, but somehow his father had been able to tell. The fact that his father said the Sorting Hat would take your opinions into account made him feel much better. Knowing that his father had been able to choose between Gryffindor and Slytherin was comforting. Surely he wouldn't be the first in his family to be sorted into Slytherin if his choices mattered.

The train ride had been everything that he had hoped for and more. His parents had given him and James some pocket money before they left the house that morning, which meant that Albus was able to buy his share of chocolate frogs and licorice wands. When he finally got to change into his Hogwarts uniform, he was so excited that he had difficulty tying up his Hogwarts tie.

After getting off the train, Albus walked with his cousin Rose to the boats for first years. The castle towered in front of them, its windows filled with lights that must have come from thousands upon thousands of candles. When he looked to his slightly older cousin, he saw that Rose's eyes were wide and her thick hair flying in the wind.

He had known that he would be making his way to the castle via boat the first time, but he was surprised to see how tiny the boats were. There was only room for two other people in the boat he and Rose stepped into. Albus ended up in the front of the boat, knees bent up against his chest in a rather uncomfortable position for the duration of the ride. The water of the lake was choppy thanks to the wind, with waves lapping high against the side of the boat. Thankfully the boats knew where they were supposed to go and they had arrived at the castle without tipping or drifting off course.

When they made it into the castle their escort from the boats disappeared, leaving them with a man Albus could only assume was the Deputy Headmaster. He ran through the four houses and gave a brief overview of what they should expect, probably for the benefit of the Muggleborns, before he let them go any further. To Albus, this seemed like a needless delay. He didn't need to hear about all the houses, so the only thing he cared about was setting foot in the Great Hall and finally getting sorted. It took longer than he hoped but finally the massive pair of wooden doors opened and the group of First Years started moving.

Albus thought he knew all about the Great Hall, but he still felt his eyes widen as he caught a glimpse of it. Through the opening wooden doors and over the heads of the kids in front of him, Albus was able to see an array of pointy wizards' hats and hundreds of floating candles. A few seconds later, he set foot in the Great Hall itself and got a clear view of it all. His eyes darted between students on benches, clouds rolling across the starry sky on the ceiling, and the head table at the front of the room. He had heard so much about the Great Hall, but his cousins' words hadn't done it justice. They had said it was amazing, but Albus hadn't pictured anything this grand. He supposed he should have since the word "great" was in the name, but he had failed to do so.

Despite the length of the hall, they crossed it quickly. Albus and the rest of the First Years gathered around a three-legged stool with the Sorting Hat placed on top of it. Once the students in the hall had quieted, the Deputy Headmaster stood next to the stool. He had hardly settled when a mouth opened near the brim of the old, musty looking hat and it began to sing a song. The Sorting Hat sang about the glory that each of the houses had experienced in turn, taking several minutes to get through them all.

A polite applause rang through the hall after the song ended. Albus joined them, more relieved that the song was over than pleased about what had been said. The school was a thousand years old, having a handful of students or former students from each house doing something glorious wasn't impressive. They were bound to have had at least one decent student in that time.

Thankfully, the Deputy Headmaster called for "Alderton, Ariadne," a moment later. A skinny girl with brown curls had the hat placed on her head and the sorting began.

Albus waited impatiently as Ariadne Alderton was sorted into Ravenclaw and Orion Avery after her ran off to the Slytherin table. He watched as a stream of students went up, had the hat placed on each of their heads, and had their house called out. Some of them were sorted almost immediately, while others took full minutes to find their place. Albus did his best not to fidget as one name after another was called out… Dagworth and Gamp, Jameson and Nettles.

As a dark skinned boy who had been called up as "Peakes, Gideon" made his way to the Hufflepuff table, the Deputy Headmaster looked down at his list and called out, "Potter, Albus."

Although he had been waiting impatiently for that moment for so long, Albus felt his stomach flip as he realized that it was his turn. Doing his best to look confident, he squeezed between a pair of blonds and walked up the steps to the stool. He sat down and, a split second later, the Sorting Hat was placed on his head.

"Hmm," a voice whispered in his ear. "An impatient one. Eager to get started so you can prove yourself against your family. So many ambitions for a young fellow."

"My Dad said you listen to what I want," Albus thought. He caught sight of James, sitting at the Gryffindor table with a silly grin on his face.

"I do," the voice assured him.

"Then don't put me in Slytherin," Albus said. "Please." His father had said that he was named after a Slytherin, but he still didn't want to be placed there. Not when he was from a family of almost all Gryffindors.

"Not Slytherin then," the voice said. Albus started to relax but a split second later the Sorting Hat was shouting out loud. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Albus made eye contact with his cousin Rose who was standing no more than ten feet in front of him, waiting for her own name to be called. She was wide eyed and looked to be in shock. Albus knew that some reflection of her expression must be on his own face.

As the hat was removed from his head, Albus told himself that he had to move. He knew he needed to stand up and walk over to the Hufflepuff table, but his body was frozen. It was only when the next name was being called out that Albus forced himself to get going.

Albus kept his eyes down as he slid off the stool. He stared at his trainers, as though he was worried he would slip on the handful of steps on the way to the Hufflepuff table. He had a feeling that Rose and his brother would be trying to make eye contact with him, but he didn't want to see either of them. He didn't want to see their pitying looks now that he was a Hufflepuff.

He only looked up as he reached the Hufflepuff table. If the older students had clapped when he had been sorted into their house they had stopped now. Nearly everybody was fixated at the girl being sorted, but a couple of other kids who had been sorted into Hufflepuff tried to introduce themselves to him. Albus nodded as they said their names, but turned away rather than introducing himself.

He was trying to figure out how he felt about being stuck in Hufflepuff when a call of "Weasley, Rose!" snapped him out of his thoughts. He watched Rose climb up to the stool, her hair still messy from the boat ride over, and sit down. The Sorting Hat slid down on her, covering most of her forehead, which probably would have made Albus laugh if he was in a better mood. Instead, he watched Rose as the seconds ticked by, as though he could will the hat to sort her how he pleased. Of course, that was impossible.

After at least a minute the Sorting Hat yelled out, "Gryffindor!" Rose was beaming as the hat was pulled off her head and Albus felt his shoulders slump. He watched Rose make her way over to the Gryffindor table, where most of their cousins were sitting. When he saw them all cheering for her in a way he was sure they hadn't cheered for him, he looked away.

The only people left to be sorted after Rose both ended up in Ravenclaw. Once the last boy sat down, the Sorting Hat and the stool were whisked away as the Headmistress stood up. She gave a welcoming speech that was short and to the point. Despite its briefness, Albus found himself having a hard time focusing on what was being said.

When the serving dishes in front of him filled with food he shovelled heaping portions onto his plate, despite the fact that he was not especially hungry. As his fellow First Years began to talk, he listened in but did not offer much up in reply. Thankfully Gideon, the dark skinned boy who had been sorted just before him, seemed content to do most of the talking. Between that and chewing slowly, Albus was able to avoid speaking for most of the meal. A few well timed "yeah", "nope," and "really?" comments were pretty much all that he needed to offer.

After the food had disappeared and the Headmistress had bid them goodnight, the Hufflepuff Prefects in charge of showing them to their dorms seemed eager to get moving. They had left the Great Hall before the Gryffindors even moved from their table, which Albus was thankful for. He didn't want to hear what his brother would have to say about him ending up in Hufflepuff. He was sure that even if James didn't have a snarky comment, somebody else would make a joke about it.

Albus had a lump in his throat as he followed his Prefects to his new dormitory. He was from a family full of lions. The only people who weren't Gryffindors were his Aunt Fleur, who hadn't even gone to Hogwarts, and two of his cousins who had ended up in Ravenclaw. But at least Ravenclaws were smart. Everybody knew that Hufflepuff was the house that was made to take people who didn't fit in anywhere else.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his robes and scowled. Life could be so unfair.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: It has taken me longer to get this up than I intended and I apologize for that. I originally wanted to get this done earlier but real life &amp; Camp NaNo got in the way until now. So, here is the second half of the story.

Thank you to Hufflepuff for being the kind of friends you would like to have (and the kind of people you want on your side in a war, since they are fiercely loyal).

**The Sorting of Albus Severus: Part II**

_September 2__nd__, 2017_

"Al!"

Albus hesitated on the staircase in the Entrance Hall, taking a moment to look over his shoulder for the person calling his name. He knew that he knew the voice that was calling out, but in the sea of faces above him, none stood out.

"Al! Albus Potter!" the voice said again.

With more time to hear where it was coming from, Al looked over the bannister of the staircase into the huge open space that was Hogwarts's Entrance Hall. There, near the massive doors that led out onto the grounds, he saw somebody waving at him. Her strawberry blonde curls, usually styled so nicely, were pulled out of her face in a thick ponytail, but there was no denying that it was his cousin Dominique.

Albus waved back, forcing himself to smile at his cousin. He hadn't talked to any of his family since he had been sorted and he wasn't sure if he wanted to yet. He had been thankful that his first class, Charms, had been with the Slytherins he was so desperate to avoid joining the day before. At least he was able to focus on what the professor was saying and not coming up with excuses about why he couldn't sit next to his cousin. He hoped that, by recognizing that he had heard Dominique, she would leave him be and go off with her friends.

He was disappointed to see his plan didn't work. Rather than walking away, Dominique waved her friends into the Great Hall and waited for him at the bottom of the stairs. At least, he thought she was waiting for him.

As soon as he had set foot on the ground floor, his cousin grinned at him and said, "Hey Al. How was your first class?"

"It was fine. The Charms professor seems nice," Albus said, shuffling out of the way of the stream of students coming down the stairs so he wouldn't get trampled.

"Yeah, she's really nice," his cousin replied. "I'm sure you'll like her. How are your housemates so far? Have you gotten a chance to talk to any of them yet?" She lowered her voice just enough when asking the questions that Albus knew that her questions were what she really wanted to know about.

"I, uh, I haven't really gotten a chance to talk to anybody yet," he said. He looked down at his trainers when Dominique's eyes got all sad looking.

"Come here," she said.

Before he had the chance to respond, she had grabbed his wrist and was dragging him away from the main staircase and towards the corridor that led to… actually, he wasn't sure where it led. But, wherever it was, it was away from the stream of students heading to the Great Hall for lunch.

Dominique leaned against the wall, resting her foot against it for balance. She crossed her arms, so he could only see her pale hands against the black of her robes. When he met her eyes the look she was giving him was too knowing, so he looked back down to her dirt encrusted nails. He thought to himself how unlike her that was. Of all their cousins, she had been the voice of reason more times than not and kept them from making too much of a mess. She must have had Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures earlier if she was that dirty.

She must have gotten tired of the silence, because she said, "I can tell you aren't happy Al. Do you want to tell me why or should I start guessing?"

He brought his green eyes up to meet her blue ones. He forced himself to look at her confidently, as though he had no idea what she was talking about, even though the voice in the back of his head was nagging him that she could tell.

The little voice must have been right, because Dominique's first guess was spot on. "You didn't want to be sorted into Hufflepuff, did you Al?" she asked, her voice gentle.

Part of him wanted to deny it, but before he could stop himself the words started tumbling out. "I don't know why I'm a Hufflepuff. Everybody else is in Gryffindor."

"Excuse me?" Dominique said. Her eyebrows had shot up her forehead. She uncrossed her arms and pulled her tie, striped blue and bronze, out of her sweater. "Not everybody is a Gryffindor, not even within our family."

Albus felt his cheeks flush. For a second, he had forgotten who he was talking to. "Sorry. I didn't mean everybody, but most people are Gryffindors."

"But not all of us," Dominique said, stressing the 'all'. "I know how you feel, kid. I was the first one not to be a Gryffindor and it was hard for me to feel different too. And, since I know she wouldn't mind me telling you this, I know that Lucy felt a bit weird to be a Ravenclaw, too."

"Really?" Albus asked, surprised. He figured that Lucy and Molly would be more open to being sorted into another house than anybody else, since his Aunt Audrey had been a Ravenclaw when she was at school, too.

"Really," Dominique said, offering him a small smile. "Does that make you feel a little better?"

He knew that if he said yes that there was a much higher chance that he would be able to get out of the conversation and go to lunch, but now that he had started talking about it he found himself unable to keep from blurting out, "That's different."

He had spoken much louder than he intended to, but Dominique seemed unfazed. "Why is it different?" she asked, her voice still calm.

"Because Ravenclaw is a good house!" Albus exclaimed. He could suddenly feel his eyes stinging as tears threatened to form.

Finally, Dominique looked taken aback. "And you don' think Hufflepuff is a good house?" she asked. It was a question, but it was clear that she already thought she knew the answer already.

The tears were threatening to spill over now, so he nodded rather than speaking. He told himself that he was being stupid and that eleven-year-old boys shouldn't be crying, but all that did was make him feel worse. Before he knew it, he had lost the battle and a tear fell down his cheek.

"Oh, Al," Dominique said softly. She pulled him into a tight hug, resting her cheek against the top of his hair. "Hufflepuff is a good house."

He wiggled out of her embrace. "It is not. _Nobody_ else is a Hufflepuff. Everybody else is a Gryffindor or a Ravenclaw but I guess I'm too stupid and cowardly to be either."

"You aren't stupid and you aren't a coward," Dominique said. The forcefulness in her voice snapped Albus out of his thoughts for a moment. "And other people have too been Hufflepuffs."

"Who?" Albus responded, challenging her.

Dominique slid down the wall and sat on the floor. She patted the spot next to her, telling him to sit, and Albus grudgingly did as he was bid. "Uncle Harry has told you all about Teddy's parents, right?"

He didn't really see how this was relevant, but he nodded. "Yeah. Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. They died in the Second Wizarding War. That's why Teddy grew up with his grandmother."

"That's right," his cousin said, nodding along as he spoke. "They both fought for the Order of the Phoenix and died in the Battle of Hogwarts. Remus was one of your grandfather James's best friends who taught your dad one year and Tonks was an Auror." He was about to ask her why they were talking about Teddy's parents when Dominique added, "Tonks was also a Hufflepuff."

That caught Teddy off guard. "Teddy's mum was a Hufflepuff?"

Dominique smiled at him. "She was a Hufflepuff. A Hufflepuff who was smart enough to get through Auror training, brave enough to fight against Voldemort, and cunning enough to keep her Ministry job while fighting against what they advocated for."

That gave him pause. He had never met Teddy's mother, who had died eight years before he had been born, but he had heard a fair bit about her. His dad had always told him and his siblings a lot about the people who had died fighting against Voldemort and Teddy's parents had come up a lot, especially when Teddy was visiting. He had heard about Tonks changing her appearance and Remus teaching his dad how to fight of Dementors, but he had never thought to ask what houses they had been in at Hogwarts. He had always just assumed that they had been Gryffindors, like everybody else he was related to.

Dominique speaking snapped him out of his thoughts again. "Do you know who else was a Hufflepuff?" she asked.

"Who?" Albus asked. He felt slightly less nervous than when he had asked her last time.

"Cedric Diggory, the one who was in the graveyard with your dad the day Voldemort came back," she said, clarifying who he was unnecessarily. "He was chosen to be champion for all of Hogwarts in the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

"Like your mum," Albus interjected.

"Yes, like my mum," Dominique said with a smile. "But the important thing is that _Cedric_ was chosen, not a Hufflepuff or a Ravenclaw or a Slytherin. A Hufflepuff was seen as the best student Hogwarts had to offer by a cup that cared nothing about houses and that didn't have prejudices. It didn't care what house Cedric or any of the other students was in, it just looked for the best. And it chose a Hufflepuff."

Despite himself, Albus felt himself starting to feel better about his new house. "Who else was a Hufflepuff?"

"The head of Hufflepuff helped fight in the Battle of Hogwarts, using her plants to trap Death Eaters and helping with people who were injured." Dominique was looking up towards the ceiling, as though she was trying to find information there. "Helga Hufflepuff was the only founder who didn't refuse to teach students if they didn't fit her idea of a good witch or good wizard. Professor Longbottom's wife was a Hufflepuff. Luna's husband was a Hufflepuff."

His cousin rearranged herself so she was looking directly at him. "But it's not just important that a house produces good witches and wizards, but what traits it represents. Hufflepuff has a lot of those and it's a good thing that the Sorting Hat saw them in you, Al."

"Because it's not just a house for people who don't fit in anywhere else," Albus said. Saying it out loud helped him believe it a little more.

"No, it's not," Dominique said, giving his forearm a comforting squeeze. "The Sorting Hat doesn't care about who else went in which house. It saw that you are patient and kind when it was sitting on your head yesterday. It saw that you work hard and hate when things aren't fair, and it saw that you are fiercely loyal. All of those things are good things, Al."

All of the pressure he had felt on his shoulders earlier felt like it had disappeared. "Thanks, Dominique," Albus said, giving her a smile. He didn't know how to explain how grateful he was for what she had said and he hoped she knew how much it meant to him. He looked down before saying the last thing that was bothering him. "It's just my dad had said he would be okay with me being in Slytherin, but he never mentioned Hufflepuff."

Dominique laughed, which made his head snap up. "Al, Uncle Harry will have no problems with you being in Hufflepuff. How much did tolerance and loyalty contribute to him surviving the war and beating Voldemort?"

Suddenly, Albus felt very stupid for being worried at all. Of course his father would be okay with him being in Hufflepuff, why would he not be? His father had had all sorts of friends when he was at school, friends who had helped him beat one of the darkest wizards of all time. If he had been sorted into a house that was known for being kind, loyal, and helpful as Dominique said, what was there not to be proud of? It didn't mean that he wasn't anything that the other houses stood for, just that the Sorting Hat had thought that here, in the house of yellow and black, was where he would fit best.


End file.
